I have a large Northern Lights Auto indoor plant (...

I would agree with numbers on this. It's early.you could probably get away with a boost/finisher to swell them up, otherwise your leaving quiet a bit of yield behind.

Looks way too early for harvest even at the top, but each to their own. Same with multi staged harveseting. Whatever floats your boat. The benefits don't justify the effort or cost in my opinion. running the lights another week or two and it doesn't really improve anything below... does help even out any gradient in ripening top-to-bottom, but it will not turn airy buds dense. That was determined weeks prior when the buds initially formed. Cola size is mostly genetics if growing healthy plants, but you do influence that potential by how many budsites you are feeding. If you create too many mouths, you get smaller buds all around. Number of colas and bud sites only improve yield up to a point, and then after that it's just distributing same mass amongst more bud sites. Size of canopy and potential light absorption is what dictates yield per plant. (we are ignoring genetics to make this fewer words and obviously the overall environment you provide matters too, of which light is a part... adding co2 also raises the ceiling etc). You only need 2-3 colas per sq ft to maximize yield. Also, doing so reduces need to prune and virtually no need to defoliate. Removing leaves is never a good idea on its own.. only in reaction to risk or over-growth.. essentially the need for 90% of defoliation is the result of mistakes that could be avoided or whimsical removal if just done for the sake of doing. the plants that don't naturally build large colas probably need more colas per sq ft by comparison to max out yield. hard to distinguish such a thing when it matters early on when choices about training the canopy are made. You'll save some height if you have faith in the growth after flip to flower too... can avoid encroaching the light and still fill in the space properly with better timing. again, 1/10 or 1/20 plants may just grow extra tall, too. Can't eliminate it but can minimize it.

If you are doing a grow-break after that Northern Lights, it is a good idea to do a staggered harvest. But if you would put in the next plant right after the NL is harvested, you should consider the space, the time and the energy that you give some lower buds, while they are blocking your next grow.

Lower buds won't magically appear; the staggered harvest is more to do with trichome readiness than bud yield or development.

Boa tarde... Pela descrição que faz deve fazer uma colheita faseada, e ate vai trazer vantagens pois vai permitir os buds inferiores engordarem mais um pouco... bom trabalho, essa colheita promete...

Hey, multi-stage harvest is a great idea for a plant built like that, especially with a large auto where tops get much more light penetration than the lower branches. Here is how you can do it effectively: 1. Chop the top colas first: Harvest the top parts that are fully mature and cloudy/amber. This removes the weight, opens up the canopy, and eliminates the shadow. 2. Leave the lowers for a bit: Lower down the lights slightly (or adjust intensity if needed) and let those lower, unfinished buds catch direct light for another 7 to 14 days. You’ll be surprised how much they can fatten up and frost-up once they stop competing with the top colas. 3. Keep an eye on trichomes: Just check the lower trichomes with a loupe/microscope during those extra days so you don't miss the peak window. Definitely go for it—it's a smart way to maximize your yield instead of harvesting underripe lower popcorn buds!